


Try out fireworks

by tennisuhs



Series: FICTOBER2018 [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Divorce, M/M, Single Parents, This Is So Bad I'm So Sorry, and it's none of the main characters, but like it's implied, drug mention, johnny is a kindergartner teacher, you can't stop me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 05:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16152464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennisuhs/pseuds/tennisuhs
Summary: Chenle's dad always comes to pick him up a tad late, but that's fine because his favourite teacher plays him songs on the piano and hugs him if he is scared.





	Try out fireworks

**Author's Note:**

> This is me indulging myself and everyone who wanted to see Johnny being a nursery/kindergartner teacher, Kun being a single parent, and Chenle being the adorable toddler we all know he was. 
> 
> Also this is extremely, poorly, tremendously badly written so I apologize. I really don't know how to do small, well developed plots.

Chenle loved music. The kid would just sit in awe as his teacher played the piano, partiture after partiture, the fingers flying across the keys, white and black, black and white. Silence. Youngho could only imagine what was the kid thinking, however, he could trace the blueprint of what once was his own child wonder at the magic that was and will always be music. The teacher had also been the one sitting on the floor, sometimes crawling to sit beside his mother as she played, dozing off when the melody swifted to lullabies. Clapping when it turned into a march. 

So Youngho smiles at the toddler asking for more, with a lisp given by his new grown teeth and the foreign language in his tongue. There was only sweetness in the way his eyes grew into crescents and his high pitched voice demanded to be taught. One could say that the boy kind of was the constant reminder why did he chose his job in the first place. 

Sometimes Youngho would remember the tragedy that was his college experience, the constant switching majors and academies to end up taking a place at a kindergartner, located nearby his apartment, in an attic. Everything was way more domestic, hand made, the teachers were qualified enough, and the kids were from the neighborhood. 

“Do you think my dad loves me?” Chenle one day asked, as the merciless rain poured from above, outside was nothing but darkness, the shadows casted by lightning harsh and raw against the buildings. The kid was sitting on Youngho’s lap, holding onto the teacher’s shirt every time a thunder would rumble outside.

The question made his heart ache, even if Youngho had only met Kun every time he came to pick him up (which was unusually late, but not late enough so the kid would miss dinner), he could see the struggle behind the parent. Being a single dad in this day an age wasn’t an easy job, to put it slightly. Again, it couldn’t fit in the taller’s mind how the other did it, how he joggled his personal or family life with whatever job he had, that was clearly taking up so much time out of his days.

So Youngho, or Johnny as Chenle would refer him as, sat him properly on his knees, now the toddler was facing him, but his eyes were sad, still looking where his hands grabbed onto the fabric. His pout was comically prominent, but it only made Youngho feel worse. “Chenle, your dad loves you so much.” he starts, “That’s what dads do: they go to work so you can have nice things!” 

And that was utterly pathetic, but how does one explain to a kid that the materialistic, neo-liberal, capitalist society is shaped in a way where people consume their lives away, and the only physical prove of happiness is money?

“There’s nothing he can do. But trust me, he does everything for you.” and Chenle sighs, Youngho would too if he was in the kid’s place. A child wants nothing more but to be loved. So Youngho ruffles his hair, which the kid wants to dye as soon as he gets older, or so he told him one evening. “Your dad is a very hard working person, he is so good at his job that his boss keeps him there for a little longer every day.”

“But that’s mean! He is my dad!” and okay those were tears dwelling in the kid’s eyes.

Youngho hugged him, patting his back and brushing his hair. “I know, Chenle. It is unfair, my parents were also very busy, but that didn’t stop them from loving me. You will always be your father’s favourite, no matter what.” 

That seemed to calm him a little bit. “Hey, didn’t you tell me your dad took you bowling the other day?” Chenle nods, now looking at Youngho, finally some sort of sparkle, of joy in his eyes. “And that your dad helps you with piano?” again another nod. “And that he cooks you very yummy stuff even when you aren’t sick?” 

“Yes! He makes the best dumplings ever! He puts a little bit of...how is it called?” the kid looks everywhere, as if the room had the answer to his question. 

And then he gasps and gets off from Youngho’s knees.

“Papa!” he runs to the other male standing there, blazer hanging on his hooked arm, suitcase forgotten in the entrance. The father kneels down and offers himself to the kid, wrapping him in a tight embrace, Youngho could swear the man’s smile could light up the entire building. 

Youngho also gets up, walks to where the little family reunion is taking place but leaves a respectful distance.

Maybe that wasn’t the best time to even think about it but, Youngho can’t help to notice Kun’s little button nose, adorable, boopable, which is outright disrespectful. There was something about Kun, after seeing him every evening, with the same smile produced by being reunited with his child, the small talk with him as Chenle gathered his things; there was something Youngho couldn’t exactly make out but that just drew him to Kun, to actually be somewhat excited for the evening, awaiting the time he’d show up. God, he sounded like he was the kid, not the adult.

Amidst the polite conversation, teacher and father talked. Really talked. Because that’s what adults did. Disgraceful.

It was at the end of the year, New Years approaching and the realisations of loneliness sunk. Not that they would spend it together, but there was something about how Kun had leaned in on the cafeteria table, since meetings in the school were unspokenly forbidden.  
Their fingers brushed and a spark illuminated the sky, try out fireworks only Youngho seemed to see.

Kun blushed, again absolutely adorable. 

Hours stretched, what started as a check up on Chenle’s progress in school, turned into therapy. The parent pouring his heart out about his divorce, his wife and him getting married out of convenience and having a kid to please traditional values. It was all left with a tinge of cynicism but the sadness overpowered the smile, trying to conceal the hurt.

It went on to how it all went downhill when she became extremely depressed, how Kun loved her so much he is still paying for her rehabilitation. Youngho couldn’t stop gaping at him. Kun might have looked fragile but he was truly, one of the strongest people the teacher had the pleasure to know. Or at least meet.

Kun seemed stable, his laugh contagious and his overall personality charming. Yeah, that was it: Kun came off as charming. Youngho found his throat dry around him more times that he’d admit. That he stumbled upon words not due to exhaustion. 

However, there was something different about that evening. Like something transcendental was developing but the teacher couldn’t quite see what it was.

“Chenle will always be my favourite.” the dad started as Chenle put every toy he had played with in the past hours away. 

And frankly, that caught Youngho off guard. Turning to the younger, he was confronted with a smile he couldn’t quite classify, unknown. And Kun only but stepped a little closer.

“But I don’t think he would mind sharing that place with his favourite teacher.” 

If Youngho stopped breathing it was no one’s deal. He eventually found his air, his brain (still short circuiting) could manage to find his words, and two beats later he simply mumbled a measer “oh?”.

“Papa is taking me to the arcade this saturday!” the kid had appeared again, coat already on and his small backpack slung in his tiny shoulders. Suddenly he turned to his dad, his tone now lower, but his eyes big. Who could resist that? For real. “Papa, could Teacher Johnny come with us?”

“Well, he’s been taking good care of you, I seem to be in debt with him.” as he talked, Kun bended down again to help his child with the zipper of his jacket. Once he was standing straight again he turned to Youngho. “If you want to go with us, that is?”

“Yeah.” Youngho let out, never breaking eye contact with the other adult. “Yeah, I’d love to go with you guys.”


End file.
